第99章 ALAEDDIN ABOU ESH SHAMAT.(9)

Then she rose and made ready food and brought the tray，and they ate and drank and made merry awhile. Presently，Alaeddin besought her to let him hear some music；so she took the lute and played a measure，that would have made the very rock dance for delight，and the strings cried out，in ecstasy，O Loving One！'[102]

after which she passed into a livelier measure. As they were thus passing the time in mirth and delight，there came a knocking at the door and Zubeideh said to Alaeddin，Go and see who is at the door.' So he went down and finding four dervishes standing without，said to them，What do you want？O my lord，'answered they，we are foreign dervishes，the food of whose souls is music and dainty verse，and we would fain take our pleasure with thee this night. On the morrow we will go our way，and with God the Most High be thy reward；for we adore music and there is not one of us but hath store of odes and songs and ballads.' I must consult [my wife]，'answered he and returned and told Zubeideh，who said，Open the door to them.' So he went down again and bringing them up，made them sit down and welcomed them. Then he brought them food，but they would not eat and said，O my lord，our victual is to magnify God with out hearts and hear music with our ears： and God bless him who saith：

We come for your company only，and not for your feasts；For eating for eatings sake is nought but a fashion of beasts.

Just now，'added they，we heard pleasant music here；but when we knocked，it ceased；and we would fain know whether the player was a slave-girl，white of black，or a lady.' It was this my wife，answered he and told them all that had befallen him，adding，My father-in-law hath bound me to pay a dowry of ten thousand dinars for her and they have given me ten days time.' Have no care and think nought but good，'said one of the dervishes；for I am head of the convent and have forty dervishes under my hand. I will gather thee from them the ten thousand dinars and thou shalt pay thy father-in-law the dowry. But now bid thy wife make us music，that we may be heartened and solaced，for to some music is food，to others medicine and to others refreshment.'[103] Now these four dervishes were none other than the Khalif Haroun er Reshid and his Vizier Jaafer the Barmecide and Abou Nuwas ben Hani[104] and Mesrour the headsman；and the reason of their coming thither was that the Khalif，being heavy at heart，had called his Vizier and signified to him his wish to go forth and walk about the city，to divert himself. So they all four donned dervish habits and went out and walked about，till they came to Zubeidehs house and hearing music，were minded to know the cause. They spent the night in mirth and harmony and discourse，till the morning，when the Khalif laid a hundred dinars under the prayer-carpet and taking leave of Alaeddin，went his way，he and his companions. Presently，Zubeideh lifted the carpet and finding the hundred dinars，gave them to her husband，saying，Take these hundred dinars that I have found under the prayer-carpet；the dervishes must have laid them there，without our knowledge.' So he took the money and repairing to the market，bought meat and rice and butter and so forth. When it was night，he lighted the candled and said to Zubeideh，The dervishes have not brought the ten thousand dinars that they promised me： but indeed they are poor men.' As they were talking，the dervishes knocked at the door and she said，Go down and open to them.' So he went down and bringing them up，said to them，Have you brought me the ten thousand dinars？We have not been able to get aught thereof as yet，'answered they，but fear nothing： to-morrow，God willing，we will make an alchymic operation for thee. But now bid thy wife play her best to us and gladden our hearts，for we love music.'

So she made them music，that would have caused the very rocks to dance；and they passed the night in mirth and converse and good cheer，till the morning appeared with its light and shone，when they took leave of Alaeddin and went their way，after laying other hundred dinars under the carpet. They continued to visit him thus every night for nine nights，and each morning the Khalif put a hundred dinars under the prayer-carpet，till the tenth night，when they came not. Now the reason for their failure to come was that the Khalif had sent to a great merchant，saying to him，Bring me fifty loads of stuffs，such as come from Cairo，each worth a thousand dinars，and write on each bale its price；

and bring me also a male Abyssinian slave.' The merchant did the bidding of the Khalif，who write a letter to Alaeddin，as from his father Shemseddin，and committed it to the slave，together with the fifty loads and a basin and ewer of gold and other presents，saying to him，Take these bales and what else and go to such and such a quarter and enquire for Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat，at the house of the Provost of the merchants.' So the slave took the letter and the goods and went out on his errand.

Meanwhile the ladys first husband went to her father and said to him，Come，let us go to Alaeddin and make him divorce my cousin.' So they set out，and when they came to the street in which Zubeidehs house stood，they found fifty mules，laden with stuffs，and a black slave riding on a she-mule. So they said to him，Whose goods are these？They belong to my lord Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat，'answered he. His father equipped him with merchandise and sent him on a journey to Baghdad；but the Bedouins fell on him and took all he had. So when the news of his despoilment reached his father，he despatched me to him with these fifty loads，in place of those he had lost，besides a mule laden with fifth thousand dinars and a parcel of clothes worth much money and a cloak of sables and a basin and ewer of gold.'